No pics yet, but you've seen it already
KVMG Pro with snapped-off high E tuner from Music123.
It arrived late yesterday afternoon, so I haven't done much more than unbox it and twist the fine tuners. I'll see about gluing the tip on it this weekend. It's a jagged enough break that glue should hold. Shouldn't have to drill and dowel anything. Might do it anyway.
At any rate, let's get to the important stuff.
Neck:
-construction: 3-piece no-scarf-joint, with a 5-piece head (and we see how that worked out here, what with the last piece snapping off).
-profile: Feels kinda round and narrow. Reminds me more of the older H-S-S DK2 neck than the DK2M or USA KV2 neck. Comfy for sure (to me, anyway). The oil treatment feels nice and smooth. Not USA-style, of course, but better than painted. It's nearly 1/32" narrower than the locking nut, judging by feel. The nut hangs over the edges (evenly!) just a hair. You can feel it, but it's not like "OMG! "
-inlays: not sure what they are. Looks like stainless steel. Definitely plastic. Very dark when viewed from playing position. Even when viewed straight-on, they're dark; about a shade lighter than the board.
-fretboard: if it ain't ebony, it's well-ebonized. Black as Sully's soul, for sure Very tight grain (could be a plastic laminate, it's so tight )
-binding: White. I'da done Ivoroid, personally, but white's ok. Stands out better. Black side dots should offer a great contrast for those of you who will be playing on blackout stages Not over-the-frets.
-frets: nice fret work. Ends are sooth, not jagged like I expect from Injunesia.
Floyd: It's a Floyd Rose. FRT1000 or Special, I dunno, but doesn't say "licensed" or "Germany". Haven't done anything with it, so as far as I'm concerned, the jury's still out on their quality compared to a Schaller.
Weight: Not as heavy as my late 70s/early 80s Vantage roundhorn V, or my (alder) WarAngel. About the same as a SoCal. It's very resonant, though, as the trem springs are passing sympathetic vibrations like a mufugger.
Serial numbering: This is an Indonesian guitar. Says so right on the serial number sticker on the back. Serialization for these apparently follows an entirely new (for Jackson) scheme, which is:
IWJ followed by 7 numbers.
Not sure of the rationale behind the numbers, however (nor the IWJ, for that matter). The first two do not appear to be Year (unless this thing is 2 years old. Given the buildup on the board, that's possible.) If this was a store-demo and never sold, it was heavily favored by chugga-chuggers more than meedly-meedlers. First three frets might need looking at under the E and A. Nothing major like dents, but severe scratches in the tops.
Pickups: Real EMGs, it appears. Battery box has a wonky lid - you gotta push on the top corner to make sure it seals. May just be me.
Misc:
-The part that struck me as incredible is the backplates are brushed aluminum like the USA and 1990-era Pros (!). I truly expected them to be plastic.
-Output jack on the top wing like a USA KV.
I haven't strapped it on yet, so I can't say how well it wears.
Definitely needs new strings. Got a nice rubber-band acoustic tone with whatever's on it.
KVMG Pro with snapped-off high E tuner from Music123.
It arrived late yesterday afternoon, so I haven't done much more than unbox it and twist the fine tuners. I'll see about gluing the tip on it this weekend. It's a jagged enough break that glue should hold. Shouldn't have to drill and dowel anything. Might do it anyway.
At any rate, let's get to the important stuff.
Neck:
-construction: 3-piece no-scarf-joint, with a 5-piece head (and we see how that worked out here, what with the last piece snapping off).
-profile: Feels kinda round and narrow. Reminds me more of the older H-S-S DK2 neck than the DK2M or USA KV2 neck. Comfy for sure (to me, anyway). The oil treatment feels nice and smooth. Not USA-style, of course, but better than painted. It's nearly 1/32" narrower than the locking nut, judging by feel. The nut hangs over the edges (evenly!) just a hair. You can feel it, but it's not like "OMG! "
-inlays: not sure what they are. Looks like stainless steel. Definitely plastic. Very dark when viewed from playing position. Even when viewed straight-on, they're dark; about a shade lighter than the board.
-fretboard: if it ain't ebony, it's well-ebonized. Black as Sully's soul, for sure Very tight grain (could be a plastic laminate, it's so tight )
-binding: White. I'da done Ivoroid, personally, but white's ok. Stands out better. Black side dots should offer a great contrast for those of you who will be playing on blackout stages Not over-the-frets.
-frets: nice fret work. Ends are sooth, not jagged like I expect from Injunesia.
Floyd: It's a Floyd Rose. FRT1000 or Special, I dunno, but doesn't say "licensed" or "Germany". Haven't done anything with it, so as far as I'm concerned, the jury's still out on their quality compared to a Schaller.
Weight: Not as heavy as my late 70s/early 80s Vantage roundhorn V, or my (alder) WarAngel. About the same as a SoCal. It's very resonant, though, as the trem springs are passing sympathetic vibrations like a mufugger.
Serial numbering: This is an Indonesian guitar. Says so right on the serial number sticker on the back. Serialization for these apparently follows an entirely new (for Jackson) scheme, which is:
IWJ followed by 7 numbers.
Not sure of the rationale behind the numbers, however (nor the IWJ, for that matter). The first two do not appear to be Year (unless this thing is 2 years old. Given the buildup on the board, that's possible.) If this was a store-demo and never sold, it was heavily favored by chugga-chuggers more than meedly-meedlers. First three frets might need looking at under the E and A. Nothing major like dents, but severe scratches in the tops.
Pickups: Real EMGs, it appears. Battery box has a wonky lid - you gotta push on the top corner to make sure it seals. May just be me.
Misc:
-The part that struck me as incredible is the backplates are brushed aluminum like the USA and 1990-era Pros (!). I truly expected them to be plastic.
-Output jack on the top wing like a USA KV.
I haven't strapped it on yet, so I can't say how well it wears.
Definitely needs new strings. Got a nice rubber-band acoustic tone with whatever's on it.
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